


Fist Fights, Talks and Trust

by JustAndrea



Category: Batman (1966), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Arguing, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, heart-to-heart talk, high school bullies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 14:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13503204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: Sometimes it's easy to make a mistake when you're so used to being a hero. Sometimes it's easy to believe in the worst when you don't have all the answers. Sometimes guardians must scold and discipline like a parent, and sometimes best friends argue. But, as long as there is still trust and patience, things will be alright.





	Fist Fights, Talks and Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick Bruce and Dick oneshot I liked the idea of. Even if you hardly ever see Dick genuinely arguing with Bruce or getting into trouble (excusing all the times he gets caught and put into a villain’s death trap, lol) in the show, I still feel like it would still occasionally happen. So, I just decided to write one of those moments. Enjoy!

_ It’s a quiet Monday in Gotham City… With many of its citizens either working hard at their various jobs, or learning valuable lessons in school. Though, while it is quiet with no supervillains or criminals in sight, all may not be well. After all, it’s not every day that millionaire Bruce Wayne has to drive down to the high school to pick up his usually well-behaved ward… _

A stern look was settled on the millionaire’s face as he slowed for the upcoming stoplight. Before he had been interrupted, Bruce had been conducting a meeting with his investors, making sure that they felt confident going into the upcoming quarter. That is, until he had been interrupted by that phone call…

Now, Bruce was used to being interrupted thanks to phone calls. It was just a natural part of his double-life, and another thing he had to keep balanced as to not raise suspicions or accidentally offend anyone that he was temporarily leaving behind in order to save the day. However, after leaving his accountants in charge of the meeting, he was informed by Alfred that their caller was in fact  _ not _ Commissioner Gordon, but instead Principal Schoolfield. A very unexpected turn of events indeed…

Bruce furrowed his brow. “Dick…” He mumbled, sighing slightly. Just what had that boy gotten himself into now? He knew his ward was at times a bit of a hot head, especially in the heat of battle against a villain, but this?

Before long, he was pulling into the parking lot of Woodrow Roosevelt High School. The halls of the school weren’t too busy, since class was still in-session, so it only took a couple minutes for Bruce to make his way to the principal’s office. And of course, Dick was already there.

Dick had looked up at Bruce as soon as he heard the door opened, allowing Bruce to get a good look at his face. The most noticeable thing of course was his ward’s new black eye - he made a note to have Alfred grab an ice pack as soon as they got home. However, Bruce also noticed the guilt in Dick’s face, as well as anger and frustration. 

The boy opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but a stern look from his guardian was enough to silence him for now. Bruce almost felt bad about it… But, like being a philanthropist and a crime-fighter, this was just his job. Dick was his close friend, as well as his partner in crime fighting, but he was also his ward - practically his surrogate son at this point. Which meant that Bruce had to do his job as guardian. 

He had to guide Dick, advise him, let him know that he was cared about and had people to turn to when he was in trouble and, in cases like this, he had to be stern and scold him. It may not be the most fun part of having a child, but it had to be done. 

“Ah, Mr. Wayne,” Principal Schoolfield nodded, “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you,” Bruce said, sitting down. “So… I heard that Dick was fighting?” He could see Dick start to fidget in his own seat out of the corner of his eye.

“Yes,” the principal nodded again, “And I’m sure both you and Mr. Grayson know our policy on fighting-”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Dick said suddenly, practically jumping out of his seat, “Please sir-!”

“Mr. Grayson-”

“It wasn’t even a real fight! And-!” “Mr. Grayson-!” “I didn’t even start it! Martin was-!”

“ _ Richard _ .” Dick immediately froze (it wasn’t often that Bruce used his full name). Looking back over at Bruce, he could now fully see the glare he was giving him. Swallowing and looking away, Dick sat back down, and was silent once more as he blinked away any tears that could have formed. There was no way he was going to start crying in the principal’s office like some little kid.

“Now,” Principal Schoolfield began again, “Mr. Haddock has received punishment, so don’t be thinking that he’s getting off scot-free. Because he’s not, and - for participating in the fight - neither are you, Mr. Grayson. Am I making myself clear, young man?”

“Yes Sir,” Dick replied, just barely managing to say it clearly.

“Good. Now…” The principal turned his attention to Bruce. “Since Dick is usually so well-behaved and this is his first serious offense, the punishment won’t be as severe as it usually would be. He’s dismissed for the rest of the day, and starting tomorrow he’ll have detention for the rest of the week.” Glancing back over at his student, Schoolfield also added, “If an incident happens like this again, understand that he will not only receive a harsher and longer punishment, but he will also lose his position on the student council.”

Dick’s eyes widened at that. Clearly that was something he didn’t want to lose. Bruce on the other hand simply nodded, seeing it as a completely fair punishment. “I can promise you, Principal Schoolfield, that this won’t happen again,” he assured.

“That’s good to hear, Mr. Wayne,” Schoolfield nodded. He then looked at Dick. “Can you promise that as well, Mr. Grayson?”

“Yes Sir,” Dick repeated.

It wasn’t too enthusiastic, but it was enough for the principal. “Very good,” Schoolfield told him, “Well then, you’re both free to go, and I will see you in detention tomorrow, Mr. Grayson.”

With nothing left to say, the pair left the office, silently walking down the hall and out to the car. Occasionally, Dick would glance over at Bruce, but the man kept his eyes straight ahead. Even as they got into the car, Bruce didn’t say a word. He simply started the car and drove. Even the pleasant autumn air that passed by their open windows couldn't do much to lighten the mood.

This went on for a few minutes, with Bruce driving as if nothing was wrong, and Dick watching him as he squirmed slightly in his seat. He knew Bruce was disappointed in him - which, frankly, was almost worse than being angry - and he knew the lecture and the scolding were both coming, he just didn’t know when.

Eventually, the car pulled into an emptier parking lot near the park, with hardly anyone around since most people were still at work. In fact, the only citizens Dick could see were a few elderly people walking along or sitting on the benches and, while they were still deserving of respect, they didn’t exactly have the best hearing. 

Turning off the car, Bruce closed his eyes, wanting to make sure that he was calm and collected before finally speaking. “Alright, Dick… I want you to explain to me what you were thinking when you started that fight.”

Dick scowled a bit. “I didn’t start it. If anything, I stopped it.”

“Is there really a difference?” Bruce retorted, “You still participated.” 

“But I didn’t  _ want _ to! I was just-”

“I believe we had a very long conversation about this before we started your training, Dick, about how you were never ever supposed to use your fighting skills meant for defeating dangerous criminals on your classma-”

“Yes Bruce, I remember,” Dick told him, scoffing slightly - which in turn made Bruce’s scowl deepen. “Of course I remember! Do you really think I would have done this without having a good reason?!”

“Then I’d appreciate you having less of an attitude about all this and just telling me your reasoning, because I want to know what you were thinking when you thought it was okay for you to punch anoth-!”

“Oh why bother?!” Dick shouted suddenly, throwing his arms up in the air, “You already think I’m just as guilty as Martin, just like Principal Schoolfield did, so what’s the point?!” Bruce opened his mouth to try and argue, but his ward didn’t give him a chance. “I mean, for gosh sake, Bruce! I get it, you’re trying to be a-” he paused, wincing slightly. Even if their relationship had become more familial over the years, he still couldn’t quite bring himself to call Bruce his father out loud. Not while some wounds were still fresh…

“Y-You’re trying to be my guardian and I know that means scolding me when I do something wrong, but I would think that you of all people would trust me enough that you would know I wouldn’t do something this wrong or this foolish just because I felt like it!” Turning away from him now, Dick crossed his arms. “I know you’re my guardian and I’m your ward. I know I’m younger and, and I still make mistakes… But we’re also friends. You can at least treat me like that instead of like a stupid little kid who doesn’t know any better.”

With Dick’s rant over, the car became silent. He could hear birds chirping above them, and the cars driving by on the street behind him, but he could hardly enjoy those noises now. He just kept waiting… Waiting for whatever scolding Bruce had in store for him. For the harsh tones, the disappointment, the yelling.

But it never came.

And, just as Dick started to get curious, wondering what was going on, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. “...You’re right, old chum,” he heard Bruce start to say. Looking back at him now, Dick could see that while he wasn’t smiling, Bruce did still look calm, his face not quite as stern. “Yes, I was angry when I first heard about what happened, and while I’m still disappointed in your choices, I should trust that you had good reasons for them. So, why don’t you tell me your side of the story?”

“...” Dick sighed, and rested his head against the back of the seat as he thought back. “...Do you remember that prodigy student, Freddie Fritz? The one who was allowed to skip past the rest of middle school and start high school?”

“Yes, I remember,” Bruce nodded. The Gotham Gazette had written an article all about it, and the young man seemed excited to start high school.

“Well, he’s sorta been having a hard time. Everyone still sees him as a little kid who doesn’t really belong at a high school, which makes it pretty hard to make friends…” Dick started to scowl. “And for some people, it just makes them see an easier target.”

Bruce’s frown deepened. An unfortunately yet still true fact of life. Even in good schools like Woodrow Roosevelt, there were still plenty of delinquents who got a kick out of taunting other students. 

“So, we were all out in the courtyard since we still had some time before classes started again,” Dick continued, “And at some point I saw Martin and his gang messing with Freddie. Calling him names, making fun of his age, trying to make him upset, stuff like that. It was getting pretty awful, Bruce. The poor kid looked like he was about to start crying. And… And when they started shoving him and trying to take his backpack - probably so they could mess with whatever was in it too - that’s when I knew I had to step in.”

Bruce nodded, but before his ward could continued with the story, he asked, “May I ask a question?”

Dick blinked. “...Um, yeah, go ahead,” he replied, appreciating that he wasn’t just getting interrupted with no warning like when he had been while explaining the story to Principal Schoolfield. 

“Thank you. Now, when you saw Freddie getting bullied, why didn’t you go tell a teacher instead?” As Bruce asked this, he made sure not to make this question sound like he was accusing him of purposely ignoring a better solution. He knew his ward better than that. Dick had a sharp mind, as well as a good heart.

Dick chuckled slightly. “I knew you were going to ask that, because I thought about it myself. But it wasn’t like during study hall or before classes, where teachers are everywhere. They would all be in the teacher’s lounge at lunchtime, all the way on the other side of the school.” His eyes narrowed a bit. “Who knows what Martin and his guys could have done to Freddie and his stuff by the time I returned with a teacher? I didn’t want to give them that chance.”

He then paused, wondering if Bruce was going to try to argue his logic with him and say that getting a teacher was always the best solution no matter what, but again, it never came. Bruce only nodded, and said, “Okay, so what happened next?”

Relaxing a bit more now, Dick continued. “Well, I went over to Martin, and I told him to knock it off and leave Freddie alone. Heh, guess I still need to work on my intimidation skills, since he just laughed in my face. So, we argued. But I can promise that I didn’t even raise my fists at him. I just kept yelling at him and hoping I could get him to leave. At the very least, maybe I could run out the clock until the end of lunch, or give Freddie the chance to run away. ...And that’s when he hit me.”

“And that’s when you got this,” Bruce added, pointing at Dick’s blackeye.

“Yep,” Dick nodded, wincing as he lightly touched the skin around his eye. Even if he was used to receiving punches, it still hurt. “That’s when I knew that he wasn’t going to back down, that he thought he was tougher than everyone else and that meant he could do whatever he wanted. So, I had to show him I was tough too.”

Bruce didn’t say anything, but Dick could still tell that his guardian had some concerns, so Dick explained. “Of course I didn’t want to seriously hurt him, so I just gave him a quick punch back in the chest. Not in the face, not enough to leave more than a bruise, just enough force to knock him off his feet.” 

Just as he had practiced, just as they had trained. Even the most diabolical villains didn’t deserve to be brutally beaten - that’s what Batman always insisted, knowing he couldn’t be the one to accidentally take a life just because he was a hero - so they always had to make sure to never use more force than necessary. Bruce nodded again, clearly pleased to see that even while being in what was no doubt an emotion situation, Dick had still remembered what was important to always keep in mind while fighting.

“And that was the only punch I threw,” Dick finished, “He was already on the ground, looking pretty shocked, so I knew he didn’t need anything more than that. His guys were surprised too, but they didn’t attack me, so I just told them to leave Freddie alone, and I left it at that. Speaking of Freddie, he was still looking sort of shaken up. So after I helped him gathered his books, I took him over to a milk machine and bought him a drink, thinking he could use it.”

Bruce smiled at that. “Sometimes being a friend for someone is even better than being a protector.”

“Heh, yeah,” Dick agreed, smiling a bit as well, “And he seemed to be doing better after we talked for a while, just sitting by the machine and drinking our milk. ...And that’s when I got called to the principal’s office, with Martin already there and telling his side of the story.” The boy sighed again. “I know I shouldn’t have hit him, Bruce. I know I should have just tried walking away and taking Freddie with me. Maybe that would have been enough, at least for the moment, but… It’s just not fair.”

“In the sense of school rules and the laws of our society, it  _ is _ fair, old chum,” Bruce argued, though his tone wasn’t harsh. “Still, I know what you mean… I know how you  _ feel _ . But unfortunately, even if their motives are true, not everyone can be Batman and Robin, fighting for their own idea of justice.”

“Yeah, I know, Bruce,” Dick nodded, agreeing (and being only slightly reluctant about it). Besides, even Batman and Robin had rules and laws they had to follow in order for the citizens of Gotham to truly feel safe. Even Robin couldn’t be participating in fist fights on school grounds, especially with kids who had much less training than he had.

“But,” Bruce continued, “The fact that you were acting out of defense, both for yourself and your schoolmate, does make what you did understandable at least, even if it wasn’t the completely right method of action.”

“...Honestly, Bruce, that’s all I want,” Dick said quietly, glancing down at his lap, “For you to understand that I was only doing what I thought I needed to do to help Freddie, and that I wasn’t doing it just because I was I wanted to show how tough or cool I was, or that I’m suddenly some… some ‘delinquent’.”

No doubt something Principal Schoolfield had called him, or accused him of being. “Of course not,” Bruce told him, “Believe me, old chum, when I think of ‘delinquent’, you’re the farthest thing from it, and the fact that I now know why you did what you did just makes this even more true. ....Perhaps I should have remembered your true character instead of letting myself be led by emotions and making assumptions.”

While still being very happy to hear that, Dick gave a bit of a shrug. “I guess I can’t really blame you. Getting a call from principal saying that your ward’s been fighting people must have sounded really bad…” After a moment though, as he remembered his guardian’s words, Dick gave a bit of a smirk. “But then again… You know what they say about assuming.”

Bruce shook his head, though still smirked despite himself. “Yes yes, I know what they say,” he said as Dick giggled, “And I’ll try to continue to trust you and not to assume things with you until I’ve heard the whole story, just as long as you continue trying to do what’s right, thinking your actions through and only using physical actions when you have no other choice.”

“Deal,” Dick promised as he smiled back at Bruce. With everything now explained and settled, Bruce started his car, and they began to drive home. “...So, am I still going to be grounded for fighting at school?” Dick quietly asked after a few minutes.

Bruce had to think about his answer, but finally he settled on, “No, you’re not. ...But, I’m still going to tell Aunt Harriet just how you got that blackeye.”

Dick winced, but still nodded. “Alright, fair enough.” He could live with a bit of scolding from his aunt and no dessert that night, just as he could live with detention for the next few days. Perhaps in the meantime, he could come up with ideas for a sort of task force that he could present to Schoolfield later on as an option for students to use in order to have protection from bullies even when teachers weren’t around.

But all detentions and meals without dessert aside, as long as he still had the chance to fight when the time called for it - not to put others down or to boost his own ego, but to protect those who needed it the most - as well as the strong trust and faith from his guardian and best friend, he knew he would be just fine.

**THE END**


End file.
